64 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 



gunpowder, or of the art of exhibiting the characters of persons by 

 feeling of the head, instead ol" watching the conduct. She. was la- 

 mentably ignorant of Allopathy, Homeopathy, and Hydropathy — of 

 QVanscendentalism, Millerism anil Mesmerism — and had never in her 

 life heard of a Yankee baker, an omnibus, or a baby-jumper ! 



Let us not too hastily pity her for her ignorance of the really val- 

 uable discoveries and improvements of our age, but ask ourselves if 

 they have not been attended with something of physical and mental 

 efleminacy, which sometimes accompanies a high civilization, and 

 whether we have as much of that stern adherence to principle and 

 honest integrity, which formed so large an ingredient in the charac- 

 ters of our forefathers. 



We now take an unceremonious and perhaps ungallant leave of 

 our fair friend in the red riding cloak and hood, and with some fears 

 that some may censure us, thinking our remarks in this connection 

 partake more of fancy than fact. To such we can only say that we 

 beg them to remember that we are a Committee on Fancy Articles. 



In the dazzhng display of a multitude of articles of beautiful 

 handiwork, the Committee were much embarrassed in coming to 

 a satisfactory decision, partly from the uncertain amount of 

 means placed at their disposal. They were also embarrassed by 

 the frequent difficulty of deciding between two or more articles 

 of equal merit, so that they often found themselves in the un- 

 fortunate position of that famous donkey who starved himself, to 

 death between two stacks of hay, being utterly unable to decide 

 which was the best. The committee in many cases escaped 

 from this dilemma, by giving the same amount of gratuity to loth 

 articles. Had they not been wisely Hmited by the rules of the Soci- 

 ety, they would have been tempted to fill all the bead purses of the 

 fair contributors, and been willing to do the same with the numerous 

 family of work bags and boxes, travelling bags and card baskets, 

 which trraced the exhibition. The committee remarked that most of 

 the articles submitted to them were the product o^ female taste and 

 skill, which they were compelled to admit were far in advance of the 

 7naU. The committee are here reminded of another source of em- 

 barrassment, by which they were greatly annoyed, and which they 

 think will compel the Society to appoint a committee of ladies to take 

 charge of this department of the exhibition. This annoyance occur- 



